The Eagles Sunday loss falls squarely on the coaching staff
by John Kincade
Nick Sirianni and his staff have done an amazing job of getting the Eagles to a (13-3) record which puts them on the precipice of clinching the top seed in the NFC. If they had won their last 2 games to put themselves into this position we would be celebrating them as amazing upstarts coming off last years (9-9) season. Instead, we have the city of angst and there are fans lining the bridges ready to exit the bandwagon. I completely understand the urge, but I tell you that the reaction is completely premature and must be reflected on in context.
This all goes back to the Chicago game. A spot where many local media members like myself completely questioned the decision to put Jalen Hurts health at risk. The injury to Hurts changed the complete dynamic of this stretch run. It would have been wonderful to have a healthy Jalen roll into Dallas on Christmas Eve to close out the top seed. Instead they were underdogs and almost still pulled off the win with their backup QB. Going into the game on Sunday the Eagles had every reason to think it would be an extension of a New Years party. Instead what happened was a disgraceful, listless effort that puts them behind the 8 ball. Blame that on the coaching staff.
Despite incredible second season success, it’s always been my belief that this coaching staff wants to win by throwing the football. They don’t want to rely on the running game like they did last season to secure the 7 seed in the NFC after turning around from a disappointing (2-5) start. They want to be a vertical offense and the success of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith certainly benefits from that vision. The problem is that caused them to make many puzzling choices.
Going up against the Chicago Bears and their porous run defense the wisdom was to line up behind the best offensive line in football and punish the Bears. Instead they were pass happy on a very windy day and barely survived a team that has been out of the playoff race since October. Instead of a traditional rushing attack they ran their QB and put his health at risk, over and over. We all know what happened then. That was completely the fault of the plan they designed.
Fast forward to Sunday. Instead of lining up and running the ball, the Eagles attempted just 2 rushes with their Pro Bowl running back Miles Sanders. They decided that instead of putting their chances squarely on the shoulders of their strength that Gardner Minshew was the superior option. Spoiler Alert…he wasn’t.
It’s a delicate balance, celebrate 13 wins but scratch your head at decisions this staff continues to make. Yes, the opening 9 minute drive by the Saints that put them down 7-o sucked, but the Eagles defense gave up just 13 points. An NFL team would have lost just once in 7 weeks giving up 13 points. Place the blame where it belongs, on a horrible offensive game plan. Now a win is required in Week 18 and Jalen Hurts must return. I’m optimistic about their chances, a bit pissed off, but still optimistic. How about you?
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